A Promise
by sandra8722
Summary: "Stop it Charles." His eyes widened at the way she addressed him and he turned to stare at the girl. Perhaps it was the tone of her voice or the inflection which she said his name but Charles felt his heart rate pick up. It sounded so familiar…


A Promise

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This story is based after X-men the last stand.

Please review

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The wind was a relief against Rogue's damp skin. She wanted to strip naked and swim in the pond in front of her. Anything that might relief this anxiety building the pit of her stomach. Of course she wouldn't do that. The school grounds may be deserted, with its inhabitants sleeping peacefully at 3 am in the morning, but old habits die hard. Especially now with the cure failing and her powers coming back with a vengeance.

Sometimes she could go days without any signs of her power. She could brush against bystanders in a crowd with people being none the wiser of how close they had come to death. Not she would tell anyone at the mansion that is what she did when she disappeared for a couple hours. Rogue could only imagine the looks she would receive if they ever found out.

"How could you do that?" Kitty would ask in her accusing tone.

Booby would approach her with his sweet caring voice and look beseechingly into her eyes. "I know you are mad about things with us. But that is no excuse to put yourself or others in danger, Marie."

"You will stop" Period. Full Stop. Storm would broker no argument. I guess it was easy to order people around when you were once worshiped as a god.

The students already look at her as a traitor for taking the cure. Rogue figured that there wasn't much else she could, short of killing someone that could further diminish her reputation with them.

The professor was too busy dealing with his new body to pay much attention to her. He couldn't see how her emotions had dramatically shifted in regards to him.

Logan. Well, he was more Wolverine now than Logan. Probably the only way he could deal with the fact he killed the woman he loved. That didn't bother her as much as it once would. Strangely enough he was the one person here that she felt comfortable around. It made sense though. Rogue had been living with Wolverine in her head for years now.

She knew that they wouldn't understand. That they wouldn't realize that she was clinging on to the future that the cure was supposed to give her. A future that according to Hank would be all but impossible once the cure was out of her system.

"_According to all the data collected from other mutants that took the cure. Once it is out of the blood stream your body's immune system has built an immunity and would neutralize any attempt to reintroduce into the body. Essentially it can work only once. In some cases where the patients' mutation is weak the drug still seems to be able to suppress their abilities. But I am afraid that will not be the case with you. Very few mutants have an ability as you do. Couple that with the fact that you have absorbed abilities from some of the most powerful mutants on the planet. One of which has the ability to heal from any wound or illness. Frankly, it was only a matter of time before your mutation adapted." _

_Hank paused in his over eager scientific explanation as if he just realized that what he was saying would have a lasting impact on her life._

"_I am sorry Marie"_

Sorry.

Sorry.

Sorry.

As if his words had any impact.

Rogue pulled at the collar of her shirt. Good she hated wearing so many clothes. Especially now that she knew the freedom of wearing whatever she wanted. After the 'cure' she went through a phase where she wore next to nothing just because she could. The attention males gave her when she was dressed like that was amazing. She felt powerful in a way that she never had before. They looked at her with amusement, want and desire. Now people look at her with a condescending contempt mixed with an underlying fear of her power. Her curse.

She hated her skin and the gloves it forced her to wear. Rogue looked over the pond at the mansion hidden amongst the trees. The school, much like her gloves, was once her projection against the world. The one thing that could keep the monsters that would hurt her at bay. Now they were as much of a prison as her skin.

"Hello Marie"

Rogue turned towards the voice to find the Professor standing at the treeline. She didn't say anything in reply as he slowly made his way over to the dock she was sitting on. Even though she lived in a world where people could do amazing things; it was still hard to reconcile this strong and young body to the crippled one that once held the mind of one of the most powerful telepaths in the world.

"You don't seem practically surprised to see me." He stated drew nearer.

Rogue paused a moment before answering. Memories that were not her own flashed in her head at a rapid pace. It was hard seeing the Professor. Even more so than it was after Liberty Island. Eric memories have come back stronger and clearer than before. Still she was surprised at the strength of the voice in her head that broke through her carefully constructed shields. _Charles…_. It would seem that even in his new body Erik knew who he was.

"I heard you come outside" Rouge finally answered in a boarded tone. She used to be able block out the voices of those she had absorbed. However, she had grown lax in time she was enjoying her freedom from her mutation.

"Really?" The Professor's eyebrows jumped in response. "That is quite impressive seeing as I came from the other side of the mansion. It must be at least 900 yards." Rouge stayed silent as he strolled up to her like a man enjoying a lazy Sunday in the park. "Ah yes. Logan's ability I assume? Do you mind if I join you?"

"It is your house."

"I would hope that you think of it as yours as well." Rogue merely watched him as he sat down beside her. After a moment shuffling about to find a comfortable spot the professor began to talk about the school and all the wondrous things that it was doing for young mutants. "It really is an exciting time, Marie. We have come to precipice and have managed to claw our way from the edge. Not without losses mind you. Many mistakes were made by all involved, myself included. However, we cannot let our past mistakes define us. The children here need guidance and remodels. You may find it to be very rewarding to guide..."

"Stop it Charles." His eyes widened at the way she addressed him and he turned to stare at the girl. Perhaps it was the tone of her voice or the inflection which she said his name but Charles felt his heart rate pick up. It sounded so familiar…

Silence is a rather effective interrogation tactic when adults want draw out information out of children. Young minds had a tendency to turn on themselves when stressed. When you combine that with most children's inherit desire to please. Well, Rogue imagines that most students confess their secrets to the professor without him even needing to scan their minds. She couldn't tell if he was trying to use that method now but it was comical thought. Whatever she may be, Rogue was no child.

"I have no interest in suffering through another "we can save the world" speech. You really need to get some new material."

_You will never change old friend. Always fighting to the greater good yet unwilling to bend your high handed morals. _

Charles eyes rapidly searched her face when she turned to at him. It was as if he was trying to understand some secret and the answers laid in her every soul. Rogue had a moment of blinding panic. Could he hear the voices in her head?

"It is painful to see one so young give up on the world." Charles replied, "There is always hope for a better world."

Rogue couldn't help but laugh at that. "Young? Surely you must realize that I am no younger then you are. Age is determined by the mind not the physical. Despite your tempting new body you are still an old man Professor. Whatever I may be now, I haven't been young in quite some time."

It took a moment for him to respond and Rogue respected him more for it. Whatever his faults, the professor always knew how to listen. "I was aware that your mutation had certain psychological side effectives. Your personality changes made that more obvious. However, you always lead us to believe that they faded over time."

"Do you think any of you would have trusted me if you knew I had Magneto whispering in my ear."

"Is that what is happening now? Is that why you isolate yourself from the others" Charles asked quietly. Did this girl carry Eric in her mind? Is that why he felt an anxious anticipation when he saw her by the pond? Is that why he was eager to be able to be alone and give his undivided attention to her.

Rogue stared at him. She had to admit his new body was appealing, much more so then the original. Yet Charles didn't quite carry himself the same ways he had before. He wasn't comfortable in his skin yet and it was a condition she could relate too. "You are the telepath. You tell me."

Charles was quiet for a moment before Rogue felt a sight pushing against her consciousness. His presence felt comforting and alien at the same time. The Eric in her mind basked in it as a cat would lay in the sun.

"I can't. Not anymore." Charles whispered.

"That is probably for the best."

"Is he the reason you are no longer happy here? It may take time but I could teach you how to block him. All of them."

"He isn't bothering me. Well, not in the way you think. I can't cage or block them like I did before. Truthfully, I don't think I would survive it if I tried. They are all too powerful for that." " Rogue took a deep breath. " When my powers first manifested I would only take a little from each person. I would get snippets of thoughts or emotions but that only lasted a day or two. Logan and Eric were different. It was as if I was consumed by them in the beginning. I took on all sorts of their personality traits."

Rogue smiled to herself remembering the time she had slapped Jean's ass and called her '_sweet thing'_ in front of Scott. His reaction had been priceless and he never was able to meet her eye for very long after that. His moral compass probably went haywire thinking of a student like that.

"I remember that. It was a trying time for all of us." The professor smiled fondly thinking of when he found Marie sitting in his office a couple of days after Liberty Island. She was staring at his chess board like it contained the secrets of the universe_. "I remember playing with you…" _

Charles had been afraid for her then. Eric was a powerful personality and combined with Wolverine, he didn't know if Marie would survive. Although if he was honest with himself, he would confess that his fears were much more selfish then that of caring about the welfare of a student. What did she know? What did she remember of whispered words and secret touches?

"Still they faded and their memories went with them. Although some of the strong ones stayed." Rogue looked over at the Professor feeling Eric looking through her eyes. "It was more their emotions that stayed behind. It made things confusing for a time, especially when you or Jean were close by but it wasn't so bad after a while."

"Marie…" He whispered unaware that his body was slowly moving closer to her. She ignored him and continued with her story.

"Then I took the cure and…" Rogue smiled for the first time in months. "I was free and it was divine. Touch is like air. People don't appreciate, we just go through life as if we have some divine right to it. Then when it is taken away…. But as most things it was too good to be true. That brief taste of freedom came at a price."

Rogue turned closer to the Professor. So close that she could feel his warmth through the layers of her clothes. Tears formed in her eyes as she finally whispered her terrible secret. "They are stronger than before. They are completely separate from myself and each other. Each with their own memories and emotions. I can talk to them and carry conversations. Yet I sometimes feel as if we are blending together. That our thoughts and desires are merging to become that of one person. I have lived their lives and their memories have become my own."

Rogue brought her gloved hands up face and boxed in the Professor's with her palms. "Does that frighten you Charles?" Rogue stroked his cheeks with her thumbs. "To know at Eric is inside me right now?"

"Yes" Charles found he could barely breathe under her gaze.

"Does it arouse you, old friend? To know that she had fucked you through my eyes a thousand different times? That she knows your sounds and your taste?" Fingers brushed across his lips but Charles couldn't tell if it was Marie or Eric controlling the motion.

Charles ripped his head out of her hands, turning his body away breathing hard. Rogue laughed, "Well I guess that answers that question."

Charles felt humiliated and had a sudden rush of anger towards his former student. He had not felt an emotion this strong since Eric had left him on that beach. "Enough! That was entirely inapportate Marie. I merely wanted to talk to you about a role you could take in the school. I never intended to… Discus such … private and personal… I didn't know that you…"

Charles looked up to find the girl looking at him with cold eyes. "You let that happen. You let him take control."

Rogue smiled. "My mind is a literally battle field, Sugar. We have all come to realize that our mutual survival is dependent on all of us living in some sort of peace. I may have the home team advantage but concessions have to be made from time to time. He usually don't make such a fuss but he wanted to touch you in your new body."

The Professor shook his head. "You never answered my question. Is he the reason that you detached yourself from the others?

"Always looking to but the blame on him aren't you? Sorry to disappoint but the wonder squad did it just fine on their own. I took the cure so I am a traitor to them you see."

"As I said mistakes were made on all sides. One action doesn't have to define your …"

"It wasn't a mistake. I knew exactly what I was doing. I wanted a chance at the life I wanted to lead. Not one that was forced on me. I wanted to give my friends a hug without wondering if I would kill them. I wanted to be able touch a man and wanted children." Light of the moon reflected off the water giving Rogue an eerie almost haunted look. "He made mistakes. Horrible mistakes. I don't think you could ever understand the sheer rage Eric felt when I found out what that you had died. It was the only time I was ever truly afraid that one of them would take over my body. All because he wanted to avenge you."

"You could still have those things, Marie." Charles replied choosing to completely ignore the second half of her speech. "It may be difficult but I am sure that you find someone and together you could build the life that you want."

"What should I do then Professor? Spend my life attached to Jimmy's hip? After all he is the only one that has no reason to fear me. Could strip away the cage of my skin. Maybe we could fall in love and life happily ever after." Rogue spat at him sarcasm dripping from every word.

Charles sighed and shook his head in response. "I see Eric's stubbornness has passed on to you."

"That just shows that you never knew me in the first place. My mother always used to say was as stubborn as a pig in shit. Y'all just decided I was this innocent southern belle that needed savin. And maybe you were right then but it doesn't apply now."

"Then tell me why you are still here?"

Rogue shrugged her shoulders. "I don't really have any other place to go."

Charles didn't know how you reply to that and an amicable silence descended between them. Eventually Charles slipped off his sandals and hung his feet in the cool water below. It was relaxing sitting next to this woman to he was realizing he really didn't know at all.

"I generally stay up late." Charles mused aloud. "I find that it provides a much needed reprieve from the thoughts of other people. I used to love nights like this as a child. So hot that you had to sleep outside just to catch a breeze. I used to sit in my bed and bask the silence. It was peaceful."

"I remember." Rogue whispered. "You shared that memory with him once."

"Marie. I am not entirely sure that is wise for us to speak of such things." The Professor replied staring at his feet submerged in the black water.

Rogue sighed and got up to her feet. "I should go."

Charles watched as she moved away. He was suddenly overcome with the feeling that she meant more than just going to bed. "Marie…"

"Rogue."

"What?" The Professor asked confused.

"My name is Rogue." She turned to look at him. "My name is Rogue. Marie disappeared a long time ago. Everything she was has intermingled with everything the others were. We are so entwined that there is no beginning and no end. There is just Rogue." She looked him dead in the eye. "You ask why I stay. One day, old friend, I will learn to control this power and I will give Marie the future she wanted. One day I will take off my gloves and I will touch you."

And with that, Rogue walked away.

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(Jimmy is the mutant that has the ability to neutralize the powers of other mutants)


End file.
